robert99
On the boat
World must support Peshmerga and Iraq in war on terror, says Merkel
"Germany and other countries should continue their assistance to the Peshmerga forces in the fight against ISIS," said Merkel, speaking to the German parliament ahead of the NATO summit that is scheduled to take place in Poland on Friday and Saturday.
She also urged NATO to maintain its support and assistance to Iraq amid the destruction caused by the war against terror.
"NATO's assistance to protect Iraq should be ongoing," Merkel said.
Merkel added that "The terror and violent groups pose serious threats to the world in general, Iraq and Syria in particular."
"Iraq and Syria have been devastated by war and the threats finally reached Paris, Brussels, Ankara, and Istanbul,” she explained. “Therefore the world should be one and cooperate in combating terror in the region."
Germany has been at the forefront of arming Iraq’s Kurds in the war against ISIS that has raged since 2014.
Although Germany is not directly participating in the US-led coalition airstrikes against ISIS, it is among the countries arming the Kurdistan Region directly, providing military supplies and training.
About 80 German soldiers are stationed in the Kurdistan Region to train the Peshmerga forces. Germany is one of the few countries supplying the Kurdish troops directly through Erbil and not through the Iraqi central government in Bagdad.
Some 4,700 Peshmerga have been trained by German trainers.
The first plane carrying high-tech German weapons arrived in Erbil on September 25, 2014, following the German Defense Minister Von der Leyen’s first visit. That shipment was followed by many other weapons and equipment for the Peshmerga.
"Germany and other countries should continue their assistance to the Peshmerga forces in the fight against ISIS," said Merkel, speaking to the German parliament ahead of the NATO summit that is scheduled to take place in Poland on Friday and Saturday.
She also urged NATO to maintain its support and assistance to Iraq amid the destruction caused by the war against terror.
"NATO's assistance to protect Iraq should be ongoing," Merkel said.
Merkel added that "The terror and violent groups pose serious threats to the world in general, Iraq and Syria in particular."
"Iraq and Syria have been devastated by war and the threats finally reached Paris, Brussels, Ankara, and Istanbul,” she explained. “Therefore the world should be one and cooperate in combating terror in the region."
Germany has been at the forefront of arming Iraq’s Kurds in the war against ISIS that has raged since 2014.
Although Germany is not directly participating in the US-led coalition airstrikes against ISIS, it is among the countries arming the Kurdistan Region directly, providing military supplies and training.
About 80 German soldiers are stationed in the Kurdistan Region to train the Peshmerga forces. Germany is one of the few countries supplying the Kurdish troops directly through Erbil and not through the Iraqi central government in Bagdad.
Some 4,700 Peshmerga have been trained by German trainers.
The first plane carrying high-tech German weapons arrived in Erbil on September 25, 2014, following the German Defense Minister Von der Leyen’s first visit. That shipment was followed by many other weapons and equipment for the Peshmerga.